State Senate President calls on businesses to help minimize impact of Pulaski Skyway closure

“Chaos” is the word often used when discussing the two-year shutdown of the Pulaski Skyway beginning Saturday. Senate President Steve Sweeney says the word is appropriate, but adds that local businesses could mitigate the impact by volunteering to stagger work hours for their employees.

Sweeney visited The Jersey Journal editorial board today. Asked if he took the Pulaski to The Journal office, he noted that the Skyway reconstruction will make it harder and harder to get to Hudson County.

View full sizeNew Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney speaks to The Jersey Journal Editorial Board today about several topics, including the pending closure of the Pulaski Skyway for two years of reconstruction.Michael Dempsey/The Jersey Journal

Still, he says spending $1 billion for the structural rehab is necessary. “I’m an iron worker,” he said. “It scares the hell out of you whenever you ride over it. ... They have to fix it — that thing is falling down.

“You got to fix it, you just can’t paint it every couple of years; it isn’t going to work.”

Is Hudson County doing enough to prepare for the closing?

“What efforts were made to see what industries were willing to stagger (employees) start times — you have to do more to work with trying to get industries to stagger their hours,” Sweeney said of ways to minimize the bridge closing impact.

“Well, they should have that response pretty quick or they’re going to have a big problem around here.” The Senate president warned, adding that no one can force employers. “I wouldn’t want to be in traffic for two hours trying to get to a job. If I’m an employee, I’d be happy to (stagger hours).”

The bridge connects Newark and Kearny to Jersey City. The closures will allow state Department of Transportation-hired work crews to replace the bridge deck on both sides of the span. DOT officials say most of the 3,500 cars the travel over the Skyway each hour should use the New Jersey Turnpike Extension, where a third lane will open up to accommodate the projected 1,900 extra cars that will use that roadway.

Most of the rest of the drivers will use either the eastern spur of the Turnpike or Routes 1 & 9T, while about 100 cars will use either Route 7 or the Goethals Bridge, according to the DOT.